Freedom
by Marblez
Summary: Before war of thr ring. An ancient dungeon is discovered and the prisoners freed...how does this effect our lovely Prince? Slash. Rated for language.


Disclaimer: I do not own the main characters, I do own Daisna, Niyu, Versu etc. This is rather random story set before the war of the ring ok?

Freedom

Chapter One. 

He blinked. He must be seeing things. Why would the door to his wife's room be open, it had been locked for centuries. But there it was, wide open. It was still open when he looked again and cautiously he took a step towards it, hearing quiet voices.

"Where is it?"

"'Ow would I know? You're the one 'e gave instructions to!"

"Yes but 'e said the panel was behind the paintin', he didn't say which frigging paintin'!"

"'Ow many paintin's does a woman need? You search that 'alf, I'll look on this side."

"'Ow will we know it when we see it?"

"Are you fick, there'll be a little door and inside that door will be the last book we need!"

"Oh. Ok."

Peering inside Thranduil found two boys who looked barely a day over 100 searching his long dead wives room. They were both filthy and wore only britches made of well-used material and their hair hung unevenly to their wastes.

The one on the left was frantically searching behind the many portraits while the other searched slowly, becoming distracted by the numerous pretty things around the room.

"I wonder if this was the lady who owned this room?" the boy wondered, gazing at a painting of one of the old Queens, "She's pretty enough to haf been a Queen." The frantic boy stopped suddenly, stalked over to the other and cuffed him around the head.

"Get on wiv searching Niyu!" he snapped and the other boy obeyed, holding his ear. "We don't 'ave forever and I don't want to get a 'iding if we get back late or without it!"

"I'll get one no matter what, eiver from you or that lot so why should I rush," Niyu grumbled, pulling a painting away from the wall and peered behind it. "Ooh, Versu, I've found it." Versu rushed over and pushed Niyu aside. Thranduil watched as between them they took the painting down and opened the little cupboard behind it.

"Get the book," Versu ordered.

"No! I got the last one and got covered in spiders! You get it!" Niyu shouted. Versu growled and cuffed Niyu once more. "Fine I'll get it but you can carry the bloody thing!" Niyu closed his eyes and put his arms into the cupboard wincing, opening them before pulling out a book covered with dust and cobwebs, which he then threw at Versu getting most of it on the other boy.

"Bastard!" Versu hit him once more before brushing off his chest.

"Serves you right!" Niyu snapped back. "Now let's get out of 'ere, it's creepy in this room." They both turned to the door and froze in shock as they noticed Thranduil for the first time.

"Shit."

"Now what?" Niyu hissed at Versu. But the older boy ignored him and ran at Thranduil, hitting his arm with the book using all of his strength. Thranduil, unprepared for the sudden attack flinched to the side just enough to let the boy through who took off at a run. "Versu!"

Thranduil caught the other boy around his thin waist as he tried to follow his brother, lifting him off the ground. Niyu struggled, kicking and scratching at the King of Mirkwood.

"Let me go! I didn't do nuffin' wrong! Let me go!" he screamed as Thranduil easily followed Versu down the corridors. Many strange looks were thrown his way and the guards he saw followed him. Unfortunately they could not stop Versu from jumping down one of the numerous garbage shoots. "'E left me? I'm gonna kill 'im! Let me go you big faggot!"

"Watch you're language boy," Thranduil growled at him.

"No! You let me go!"

"Not until you explain to me what you were doing in my wife's room."

"You're wife? But that's the Queens room…oh no, you're the King?"

"Yes."

"I'm gonna die."

"You're not going to die if you watch your language from now on and explain what is going on."

"I don't fink I'm allowed too."

"Would you refuse a command from the King?"

"Um…no?"

"Then answer me, what were you doing in my wife's room?" The boy looked down nervously as Thranduil placed him on the floor. They were surrounded by guards so escape wasn't even an option and Legolas, Thranduil's youngest son and Tharinul the eldest were watching from a door way.

"We was looking for the last of the books."

"Why? And what books?"

"The books are a list of all of us and we need 'em to get freed."

"Freed from where?"

"The lowest of the low dungeons." There was a stunned silence and the boy continued nervously. "It was locked ages ago according to the old ones, they're the ones chained up, the ones in the books. Well most of 'em didn't do nuffin' that bad and so when they found this garbage shoot just big enough for me bruver and me up we went to find the books with only an old story about where to find 'em and you caught me findin' the last one."

"Did you draw breath at all through that?" Legolas asked.

"Nope."

"I thought the lower dungeon's had been emptied years ago Ada," Tharinul said shocked.

"They were, when I was but a child," Thranduil sounded equally as shocked. "But the records of the last one were missing and the door so solidly locked my Ada assumed it was empty."

"Well it's not, it's like a city. My adopted bruver is one of the original's and we live on 'Green Wall' with 'im because 'e can't move proper."

"Green wall?"

"It's like old street names, there are than many people we have streets and 'ouses and parties and everyfing! But we don't 'ave sunlight or fresh air, it was scary when I first came up 'ere, my eyes 'urt so much and I couldn't breave proper."

"So you need the books to be free?"

"Yeah, they were gonna check 'em and then send me up with 'em to show you. I didn't wanna do that, the old king's were all bas-mean. But you're not that bad, you haven't 'it me yet and down there everyone always 'its me."

"Could you get me the books?"

"Um, I could try but some of the nastier people down there want to change their crimes so they can't be punished no more. They might not let me 'ave 'em yet." The pushed his hair back from his face.

"I would like to look over these books myself and then decide what to do."

"Ok I'll try, and I'll bring you the uver stuff we found wiv 'em."

"Alright, do we have your word that you will return?"

"Yeah, I ain't no liar!"

"Off you go then boy."

It was nearly 20 minutes later when a grubby hand emerged from the hole, gripping onto the side tightly. Then another hand awkwardly passed five think books up as well as a small bag. Finally Niyu emerged, covered in cuts and dirt from his climb.

"There they are." Thranduil picked up the top book gingerly and flicked through it. There were hundreds of names in that one book alone, complete with the person's crime and sentence. "Not everyone's names are in there though coz we was born down there." Legolas and Tharinul picked up a book each and started to read as their father did.

_Ashan – No taxes paid – 10 years imprisonment._

_Asora – Pickpocket – 20 years imprisonment._

_Ataan – Thief – 50 years imprisonment._

_Avell – No taxes paid – 10 years imprisonment._

_Baben – Prostitution – 30 years imprisonment._

_Badule – No taxes paid – 10 years imprisonment._

Baffnul – Rapist, Paedophile, Murderer – Life imprisonment, beating, 30 

_lashes of the cat, branding._

It was shocking, some of the crimes, some of the punishments, it was enough to make the royal family sick to the stomach. Niyu meanwhile had picked up the bag and was playing with it nervously.

"W-What else did you find?" Thranduil asked, trying to control his voice.

"This stuff," Niyu reached into the back and brought out a smaller book, a ring, a necklace, a royal circlet and of all things a dress. "I 'id it from the others coz I knew they ruin 'em all and they're such pretty fings."

"These are so old," Legolas gingerly took the circlet from the boy. It was so intricate, so delicate looking and yet it seemed to be made of Mithril.

"What are you going to do about us?" Niyu asked Thranduil nervously.

"Free those who deserve freedom."

"And those who don't? The wank-the bas-the not very nice ones?"

"Put them into one of the upper dungeons where they can be cared for."

"That sounds good…'ey does than mean no more eating the rubbish thrown down the shoots?"

"Yes boy it does. Guards, bring a regiment down with us and have guards placed throughout the palace and grounds. We're about to free a large amount of people."

"Yes your highness."

"You're really gonna free us?"

"Yes."

"Yes! I'm gonna be able to play in the rain and 'ave nice food and 'ave clothes and…" Niyu started to bounce up and down excitedly as they walked along the corridor to the dungeons. "And Daisna's gonna be free and then 'e can 'ug me properly!"

They arrived at the dungeons and went to the eldest looking door, covered with planks of wood nailed to it. The hinges had been welded into blobs, as had the keyhole. Slowly the guards set upon opening the door…somehow.

"Why was it sealed so securely if there were still people inside?" Legolas asked. Thranduil sighed.

"It was sealed in the reign of Odarath, you remember the tales about him don't you my sons?" Thranduil asked.

"Odarath the brutal? The Eleven King who burnt is own son at the stake for being more inclined towards his own sex?" Tharinul asked shocked. Thranduil nodded sadly. "Well that explains it then." Niyu looked up at him quickly before looking back at the door.

"Are they gonna get it open coz I don't fink everyone'll fit up the 'ole," he said loudly. Legolas snorted slightly to try and hide his laughter at the sweet little boys comment.

"They'll get it open," Thranduil said loudly. They did manage, it just took them 3 hours in which Niyu curled up on the floor and slept…until Legolas picked him up thinking that the boy could not be comfortable like that. "Stay behind me boys."

"Yes Ada," Tharinul said quietly, staring into the dark dungeon. Torches were lit and they walked in, gasping in shock at the sight that met them, it really did look like a city. And every single person in it was staring at them. Niyu woke slowly and looked around him before scrambling to get down from Legolas's arms.

"Daisna! Daisna I did it!" he screamed running off to a wall covered in ivy. Legolas followed, even though his father tried to stop him and found the boy hugging a dirty boy with his arms in manacles, chained above his head.

"I can see that Niyu," Daisna said with a smile, his voice weak. He coughed pathetically, his whole body shaking. "Are they going to free us all?"

"Everyone who deserves it," Niyu said, still hugging the older boy, for that was all he looked like, a boy.

"That's good, I haven't felt my hands in years," he looked up slowly and caught Legolas's gaze. "You must be one of the royals then?"  
"Yes, Legolas the youngest Prince of Mirkwood," Legolas said with a smile to the boy who nodded to him slowly before coughing again.

"Please excuse me your highness, being down here for so long has taken it's toll on my health and immune system," Daisna apologised.

"But elves don't get sick," Legolas said with a frown. Daisna flinched slightly before looking at Niyu.

"Why don't you go and find your brothers and sisters Niyu?"

"Alright," the little boy skipped off and Daisna looked up at the Prince again with a sad smile.

"I've begun to fade, although I may survive now that we have freedom on the way, I'd all but given up hope of ever seeing the sky again," Daisna said softly. "I haven't told Niyu yet, his own mother died when he was very young as did his father, I don't want to frighten him."

"You'll be set free if you deserve it," Legolas crouched by the boy.

"Ah but see that's where your wrong. Ever heard the term 'scapegoat'? That's what I am, well was. The masters son killed a girl and guess who got the blame. So according to those books I'm a murderer," Daisna said. "So unless the new King listens to the poors pleas then I'm going to fade away down here for a long time." He gave a horrible gasp for air and thrashed slightly. "Valar that hurts…"

"I'll see what I can do about getting you freed," Legolas said as he stood up, watching Daisna smiled sadly.

"Good luck with that your highness."

"Legolas! Come here!" Thranduil shouted and Legolas hurried back to his father. "Stay with me, we are going to begin freeing them now."

"Ada, there's one who's fading and he says you wont let him be freed because he was framed, a murder was blamed on him," Legolas said quietly.

"We'll sort that out once we've freed all of the actual innocent ones."

"Alright Ada."

A/N There we go, tell me if you hate it and I won't post any more.


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